'Massive Flooding' In Colorado's Boulder County

A city worker talks on his phone while surveying high water levels on Boulder Creek following overnight flash flooding in downtown Boulder, Colo. today. Flash flooding in Colorado has left two people dead and the widespread high waters are keeping search and rescue teams from reaching stranded residents and motorists in Boulder and nearby mountain communities.

Boulder County, Colo., has been hit hard, but flash flood warnings for Thursday extend down into New Mexico.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

A huge overnight downpour that brought 4 to 7 inches of rain to the area around Boulder, Colo., has already produced "massive flooding" in the streets there, The Denver Post writes.

Even worse:

-- There have been three deaths. One person was killed when a building collapsed in Jamestown, Colo. Another person appears to have been caught by flash flooding in Colorado Springs, the Post reports. Details of the third death hadn't been released as of late morning. (Note: Word of a third death in Boulder County came in around 11:25 a.m. ET; that's when we most recently updated this post.)

The Boulder Daily Camera says that "meteorologists are calling the downpour that intensified Wednesday night — forcing evacuations in the foothills and canyons, collapsing structures, flooding city streets and killing at least one — somewhere between a 10-year and 25-year flood."